The looming prospect of war with Iraq provided the focus for several conferences and events on the challenges for achieving a democratic transition in Iraq once Saddam Hussein is gone.

Policymakers, defense analysts, and foreign policy specialists considered how to increase the likelihood that Iraq's totalitarian system would not be reborn under different leadership if Saddam was removed from power.

A related series, AEI's Black Coffee Briefings on the War in Iraq, tracks the military campaign in Iraq to oust Saddam and rebuild the country.